If you are trying to lose weight, replacing unhealthy snacks with dried plums may result in better results. This is suggested by a human study that researchers from the University of Liverpool presented in 2014 at the European Congress on Obesity by The European Association for the Study of Obesity. The study has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

Study
The researchers divided 100 fat test subjects, all of whom did not eat very healthily and consumed few dietary fiber, into 2 groups. One group - the control group - received information about a healthier diet during the 12-week trial, especially information about healthier snacks.

The experimental group also received this information, but also had to add a fairly large amount of dried plums to their diet.

Plums are high in fiber, and fiber increases feelings of satiety. The researchers hoped that the addition of dried plums to the diet would reduce dietary energy intake.

Results
The subjects who ate plums lost weight faster in the last 4 weeks of the study than the subjects in the other group. During that period, the test subjects in the experimental group also reported more feeling of satiety.

When the study was over, the plum group had lost more kilos and lost more centimeters in the belly than the other group.

None of those differences, however, were statistically significant.

Conclusion

"These are the first data to demonstrate both weight loss and no negative side effects when consuming prunes as part of a weight management diet," says first author Jo Harrold in a press release. "Indeed in the long term they may be beneficial to dieters by tackling hunger and satisfying appetite; a major challenge when you are trying to maintain weight loss."

"Maintaining a healthy diet is challenging", research leader Jason Halford adds. "Along with fresh fruit and vegetables, dried fruit can provide a useful and convenient addition to the diet, especially as controlling appetite during dieting can be tough."

White grape juice makes slimmer, increases HDL
Give women a few glasses of white grape juice every day, and a month later their waist circumference will be reduced by a few centimeters, while their HDL will be considerably increased.